Unknown Cardinals Prospects, Novices aside from JJ Wetherholt, worth monitoring closely
In the heart of the 2025 baseball season, the St. Louis Cardinals' minor league system is buzzing with excitement, and a significant part of that excitement revolves around the impressive performances of their left-handed pitcher, Ixan Henderson.
Born in 2002, Henderson was selected by the Cardinals in the eighth round of the 2023 MLB Draft and has since made a name for himself in the organization. The California native attended Clovis West High School in Fresno and played college baseball at California State University, Fresno, before joining the Cardinals.
Henderson, standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing around 180 pounds, boasts a diverse four-pitch mix that includes a low-90s fastball, an upper-70s slider with big sweep, a low-70s curveball, and a low-80s changeup. His pitching style is noted for a low-maintenance motion and good deception due to his long arm action, which allows his fastball to play up.
This season, Henderson has been dominating in Double-A with the Springfield Cardinals. He has a 3-1 record, a 2.25 ERA, and 45 strikeouts in 36 innings. His opponents are hitting just .228 against him, and he has a strong 1.11 WHIP, numbers that suggest a pitcher in form. His strong performance has earned him the title of the Cardinals' Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April 2025.
The Cardinals' focus on developing their minor league system has been evident in recent hires. Chaim Bloom, the future president of baseball operations for the Cardinals, has been analyzing and vetting the team's minor league system over the last two years. Bloom has brought in Matt Pierpont as the club's new Director of Pitching and Rob Cerfolio as the assistant general manager for player development and performance.
Pierpont previously worked as a minor league pitching coordinator for the Seattle Mariners, while Cerfolio was the director of player development for the Cleveland Guardians. The goal is for these hires, along with other external coaches and a change in development, to assist the Cardinals' minor league system in producing viable regulars.
Young players like Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, and Matthew Liberatore are receiving ample playing time, and the hope is that they, along with Henderson, will either contend at the highest level of baseball or make necessary changes to be viable regulars in the majors. The development of prospects is equally important as the development of the major leaguers for the long-term health of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals are aiming to maintain a consistent pipeline of MLB-ready players, similar to their performance in the 2000s and early 2010s. Henderson's strong performance in 2025 suggests he could contribute to the major-league roster within the next two years.
Last year, Henderson's fastball velocity increased, and his slider showed fantastic run. His slider is trending to be more like a sweeper, a development that could further enhance his effectiveness on the mound.
With Henderson's impressive performances and the Cardinals' renewed focus on developing their minor league system, Cardinals fans have good reason to be optimistic about the future.
In the midst of the 2025 MLB season, the impressively performing left-handed pitcher, Ixan Henderson, might soon make his major league debut, given his strong performance in Double-A and the Cardinals' emphasis on nurturing their minor league system. The Cardinals, aiming to sustain a robust pipeline of MLB-ready players like in the 2000s and early 2010s, have been implementing changes in their development strategy, including the addition of Matt Pierpont as the club's new Director of Pitching and Rob Cerfolio as the assistant general manager for player development and performance, all to produce viable regulars for the majors.
